International

Changing geopolitics: UNSC still reflects the geopolitical architecture of the WW II despite the change in power relations in world. The developing nations, including India, now play a larger role in both the international economy and politics, yet are not represented in the forum.   Reforms Long Overdue: It was expanded only once in 1963 … Read more

The International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (BUNKER) is an International treaty listed and administered by the International Maritime Organization, signed in London on 23 March 2001 and in force generally on 21 November 2008. The purpose is to adopt uniform international rules and procedures for determining questions of liability and … Read more

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is an independent judicial body established by the UNCLOS to adjudicate disputes arising out of the interpretation and application of the UNCLOS Convention. Its Base  is in Hamburg, Germany.  The Tribunal is composed of 21 independent members, elected from among persons enjoying the highest reputation for fairness … Read more

One of the core elements of India’s foreign policy is its unflinching faith in the political solution and peaceful settlement of international disputes. This principle has been included in the Constitution of India, under the Directive Principles of State Policy as well as in the Charter of the UN. India has played leading role in … Read more

:  Areas of cooperation:     Trade and investment: $ 9 bn annual trade along with $8-9 bn informal trade. Indian investment in Bangladesh has reached $3 bn. Connectivity: The Padma Multipurpose Bridge and the Akhaura-Agartala Rail link. Waterways: to reduce the cost of trade Cyberspace: Bangladesh has provided cyber connectivity b/w the Int’l gateway at … Read more

Issues are as follows: Border dispute between India and China: Issue of River sharing, Construction of dams on brahamputra river Growing China-Pak Nexus, Pakistan offering disputed area with India to CHINA for creation of OBOR, China Pakistan Economic Corridor China not supporting India at international level like not supporting India forNSG membership. Development of Strategic … Read more

At the 2015 BRICS summit in Russia, ministers from BRICS nations, initiated consultations for a payment system that would be an alternative to the SWIFT system. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated in an interview, “The finance ministers and executives of the BRICS central banks are negotiating … setting up payment systems and moving … Read more

The 1,000 km India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway will run from Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar. The highway will facilitate easy movement of goods and people among the three countries.This is NHAI’s first international project agreement. The project has been funded by Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and would be … Read more

What are Patents? Patents are a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor. These rights are granted for a limited period of time, usually about twenty years. The granting of these rights is in return for public disclosure of the invention. Criteria for Patentability Patents protect inventions. These inventions could … Read more

The Gujral doctrine was a five-point roadmap which sought to build trust between India and neighbours, of solution to bilateral issues through bilateral talks and to remove immediate quid pro quos in diplomatic relationship between India and her neighbours. The ‘Doctrine’ emphasized on the importance of unilateral accommodation for friendly and warm relations with India’s … Read more

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious effort to improve regional cooperation and connectivity on a trans-continental scale. The initiative aims to strengthen infrastructure, trade, and investment links between China and some 65 other countries that account collectively for over 30 percent of global GDP, 62 percent of population, and 75 percent of known … Read more

Concerns: Growing Russia -China proximity; Russia accepted China claim over south China sea, Russia accepted good Taliban and bad Taliban theory, Russia is engaging in military exercise DRUZBA with pak, Growing nexus among Russia-China-Pakistan., Military support to pak USA -India closeness at the expense of India- Russia relationship: Decline in defence import from Russia after … Read more

There was the political crisis as two centre of power confronted to usurped the top most position. The leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Juan Guaido has declared himself as president of Venezuela on January 23, challenging the power of current President Nicolas Maduro, who was recently sworn in as president of Venezuela for a second … Read more

West Asia is a very important partner in our growth story. It has huge strategical and economical relevance for India. West asia absorb huge amount of labour( lower section).  Around 7 million Indian works in West Asia. It provide huge amount of remittance and hence it is of great importance. West Asia also ensure our … Read more

( prepare intro)   Convergence Economic: India is in the need of state of art technology and funding. Whole japan is a surplus country. Eg. Metro train, bullet train, funds from JICA Demography: Ageing population of japan and demography of India. Strategic policy of India- India’s act east policy find convergence with Japanese free and … Read more

It was set up with the objective of strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean Region. The association comprises 22 Member States and 7 Dialogue Partners.  India, Australia, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Singapore, Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, UAE, Yemen, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros and Oman are … Read more

The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of International peace and security. The council has 15 members: 5 Permanent – US, UK, Russia, France and China and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for 2-year terms. While other organs of the UN can only make ?recommendation to member states, the Security Council … Read more

The One China policy is a key cornerstone of Sino-US relations. It is the diplomatic acknowledgement of China’s position that there is only one Chinese government. Under the policy, the US recognises and has formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province. China insists Taiwan is an … Read more

The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor is an India-Japan economic cooperation agreement aimed at the socio-economic development of Asia and Africa.  The vision document for AAGC was released by India in the 2017 African Development Bank meeting.The aim of the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor is to develop infrastructure and digital connectivity in Africa through Indo-Japan collaboration. The AAGC … Read more

START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was a bilateral treaty between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the United States of America on the limitation and reduction of strategic offensive arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 December 1994. The treaty barred its signatories from deploying … Read more

The Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) is a “Track One” inter-governmental security forum held annually by an independent think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) which is attended by defense ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states. The forum gets its name from the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore where it … Read more

CTBT is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but has not entered into force as eight specific states have not ratified the treaty. 166 states have ratified the CTBT and another … Read more

India support in UNSC:Russia’s veto power in UNSC (India need one trusted friend in UNSC to support her interest). Strategic:  India’s 73% defense equipment is from Russia. So India needs good relationship with Russia.  Russia is the only country which has provided us with advance technology in hard times despite immense world’s pressure. (Brahmos Missile … Read more

Dokalam issue is an extension of border dispute. It is a border dispute between Bhutan and China. India being the party to the friendship treaty with Bhutan tried to stop China from infrastructure creation in the disputed area. Doklam plateau is situated in SW Bhutan. It is among those three regions which are disputed between … Read more

Kim Jong Un is consolidating his grip on power through a combination of patronage and dread and is doubling down on his nuclear and missile programs, developing long-range missiles that may soon endanger the continental USA. Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington have a shared incentive to handle security risks in Northeast Asia, but a history … Read more

The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty required the United States and the Soviet Union to eliminate and permanently forswear all of their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. The treaty marked the first time the superpowers had agreed to reduce their nuclear arsenals, eliminate an entire … Read more

CTBT is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but has not entered into force as eight specific states have not ratified the treaty. 166 states have ratified the CTBT and another … Read more

The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI), also known as Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline being developed by the Galkynysh – TAPI Pipeline Company Limited with participation of the Asian Development Bank The pipeline will transport natural gas from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India Construction on the … Read more

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has been launched by the Chinese President XiJinping on 16 January, 2016The AIIB has a total of 57 members including 37 regional and 20 non-regional prospective foundingmembers.  China and India are among the largest shareholders with a 30.34 per cent, 8.52 per cent sharerespectively and their voting shares are … Read more

Geopolitics – The rise of China and doubts about USA‘s commitments in Asia has pushed both the countries towards this relationship. Economic Aspect – Japan is investing heavily in Indian projects. The two countries are also working on a joint infrastructure development and connectivity drive traversing the Indian Ocean. Their projects span from Myanmar to … Read more

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries based on the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949.NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. The combined military spending … Read more

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is variously referred to as a think tank or monitoring group. Its stated goals include fostering economic development and cooperation; fighting poverty; and ensuring the environmental impact of growth and social development is always considered. Over the years, it has dealt with a range of issues, including … Read more

Nuclear deal was between P5+1 and Iran to regulate the nuclear programme of Iran. Iran was undergoing economic sanctions due to its coveted and suspicious nuclear programme. The deal was strike off by Iran accepting to regulate its nuke programme and in reciprocity economic sanction will be lifted gradually. Recently US walk out of the … Read more

It is a UN body It leads international efforts to defeat hunger It was Established in  1945. It is headquartered at Rome. In theory, acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy FAO is also a source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries and … Read more

The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) was signed in 1975 as an initiative of UN- Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).  It is previously named the Bangkok Agreement.  There are 6-member states to APTA – Bangladesh, China, India, South Korea, Laos and Sri Lanka.  Mongolia is soon to become the 7th member … Read more

SCO is Eurasian political, economic, and security organization formed in 2001 and headquartered in Beijing. It owes its origin to its predecessor Shanghai Five (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan).  Its driving philosophy is known as the “ Shanghai Spirit” which emphasise harmony, working by consensus, respect for other cultures, non interference in the internal affairs … Read more

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing war between multiple parties taking place in Syria since the past eight years. The unrest started in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring protests that had originated in Tunisia. People in Syria protested against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who suppressed all dissent with violent … Read more

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) was established in 1989 as an informal Ministerial-level dialogue group with twelve members. Today APEC has 21 member economies spread out over four continents. APEC Member Economies work together to sustain economic growth through a commitment to open trade, investment and economic reform. This is accomplished by progressively reducing … Read more

Trade war is a situation where countries restrict each other’s trade by imposing tariff or quota on imports.  US has started imposing tariffs on as much as 25 percent on $34 billion in Chinese imports.  China responded with retaliatory tariffs of 25% on US goods worth an equivalent $34 billion, including soybean, automobiles, and marine … Read more

The International Development Association (IDA) is an international financial institution which offers concessional loans and grants to the world’s poorest developing countries. The IDA is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1960 to complement the existing International Bank for Reconstruction and Development … Read more

It was established in 1945 with the objective of eliminating hunger and improving nutrition and standards of living by increasing agricultural productivity.  Its secretariat is located in Rome, Italy. Some of the important key programmes of FAO are Food Security Programmes, Codex Alimentarius, and International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) etc.  The Codex Alimentarius Commission, established … Read more

The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. IMPLICATION OF OBSERVER STATUS TO INDIA: Observers do not have a role in decision … Read more

As the third largest ocean woven together by trade routes, commands control of major sea-lanes carrying half of the world’s container ships, one third of the world’s bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of the world’s oil shipments, the Indian Ocean remains an important lifeline to international trade and transport. Home to nearly 2.7 billion … Read more

S.JAISHANKAR has said that Despite having long historical links, the relationship had been defined by twin factors of energy imports and labour exports.” This term was coined by S. Jaishankar in the 1st Raisaina dialogue India is no longer contend to be the passive recipient of the outcomes. We need to become active recipient in … Read more

As per the ‘World Migration Report (2018)’, published by the International Organisation for Migration, the Indian diaspora constitutes 6% of the total number of international migrants . The population of overseas Indian increased from 6.7 million in 1990 to 16 million in 2015. However, if computed as a percentage of the world’s population, the growth of … Read more

G7 is a group consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  The European Union is also represented within the G7. These countries are the seven major advanced economies as reported by the International Monetary Fund.  Formally called G8 with Russia in it, but due to Crimean crisis Russia … Read more

The founder of India’s foreign policy, Nehru gave utmost importance to world peace in his policy planning. India desired peaceful and friendly relations with all countries, particularly the big powers and the neighboring nations. While signing a peace agreement with China; he advocated adherence to five guiding principles known as Panchsheel. Panchsheel includes the following … Read more

Sir Creek is a disputed water stream between the Sindh province of Pakistan and Gujarat state of India in the Ran of Kutch  Pakistan claims the whole water stream till India’s land borders whereas India contends that the issue should be solved as per international standards for riverine systems and hence claims half of the channel with division at the centre. The issue … Read more

G20 is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies.  Members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States, Russia, Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, China and Indonesia.   It was founded with the aim of studying, reviewing, and promoting high level … Read more

Rohingyas are the muslim community living in the Rakhine state of Myanmar.  Their number stands at 1 million people out of the 53 million population. They are the world’s largest stateless population in a single country.  They are perceived to be the most persecuted community in the world. Since World War Two they have been … Read more